immigration – The Church of England in Parliament

Bishop of Hereford asks about impact of new immigration regulations on refugees

The Bishop of Hereford asked a question on the viability of safe and legal routes for asylum seekers to come to the UK on 20th November 2025, during a discussion on the government’s asylum policy:

The Lord Bishop of Hereford: My Lords, I declare an interest as a participant in the Homes for Ukraine scheme. Three and a half years on, we have a delightful Ukrainian family still living in our house. In the section of the report on safe and legal routes, the options in the policy document include a route to safety for students and skilled workers. Such schemes may be a useful adjunct to sufficient open safe and legal routes, but does the Minister share my concern that, in a world where safe and legal routes are limited, we may send a message that young, healthy, skilled people are more deserving of sanctuary than others?

Border Security, Asylum and Immigration Bill: Bishop of London supports amendments on freedom of religion and modern slavery

During a debate on the Border Security, Asylum and Immigration Bill on 11th November 2025, the Bishop of London spoke in opposition to two amendments aimed at potentially restricting claims of asylum for reasons of freedom of religion and modern slavery, pointing out the lack of evidence of any abuse of the baptism process by asylum seekers and the need to protect the safety of those under threat from religious discrimination:

The Lord Bishop of London: My Lords, I resist Amendment 79D. This amendment and Amendment 79E in the next group are both motivated by reports that asylum seekers are choosing to convert to Christianity upon arrival in the UK in order to support their claim for asylum on the grounds of religious persecution. Amendment 79E is of deep concern. I will address this in the next group.

Border Security, Immigration and Asylum Bill: Bishop of Chelmsford tables amendment on ‘good character’ requirement

On 11th November 2025, the Bishop of Chelmsford The Bishop of Chelmsford tabled her amendment to the Border Security, Immigration and Asylum Bill which would “ensure the good character requirement is not applied contrary to the UK’s international legal obligations across a number of instruments. It also ensures that an assessment of good character may not take into account a person’s irregular entry or arrival to the UK if they were a child, and it may only be taken into account to the extent specified in guidance published and in force at the time of an adult’s irregular entry or arrival.”

The Lord Bishop of Chelmsford: My Lords, I declare my interests as per the register. I am grateful to the noble Lord, Lord German, and the noble Baroness, Lady Lister, for their support as signatories and for their guidance, especially as this is the first amendment that I have sponsored to a piece of legislation. My thanks go also to the noble Baroness, Lady Lister, for rightly explaining in my absence in Committee that I have tabled this amendment because I am passionate about the issues it raises: namely, how best to include, not preclude, those with a legal right to be here—those friends, neighbours and colleagues whom we live, work and worship alongside.

The Government’s change to the good character guidance, enacted through secondary legislation with retrospective implementation, in effect makes the “how” of a person’s travel to the UK a determining factor in their character assessment, not the “why” of the reason behind their travel in pursuit of sanctuary. This is a fundamental cultural shift and introduces a factor that bears no correlation to someone’s moral character, their worth and value or the contribution they might make to British society.

Border Security, Asylum and Immigration Bill: Bishop of Manchester supports amendments on right to work

On 5th November 2025, the Bishop of Manchester spoke in a debate on the Border Security, Asylum and Immigration Bill, supporting amendments on removing the restrictions on work for asylum seekers:

The Lord Bishop of Manchester: My Lords, as well as Amendment 45 in my name, and that of the noble Lords, Lord Alton of Liverpool and Lord Watson of Invergowrie, I also strongly support the other amendments in this group, to which the noble Lord, Lord German, has just spoken. In fact, I have added my name to two of them.

The current lengthy ban on asylum seekers working wastes talent. Lifting it would let an incredibly talented, resilient group of people—as those are the qualities they needed to even get themselves here—support themselves and their families. It would allow them to rebuild their lives with dignity and independence, at the same time as they would be filling vital UK labour shortages.

Bishop of Sheffield asks about evidence given to Home Affairs Select Committee on immigration and the church

The Bishop of Sheffield raised a question regarding evidence presented by the Bishop of Chelmsford at the Home Affairs Select Committee in 2024, during a discussion on religious conversion as a basis for asylum claims on 13th October 2025:

The Lord Bishop of Sheffield: My Lords, I declare an interest as patron of the ASSIST charity in Sheffield, which seeks to support refugees and asylum seekers. Is the Minister aware that the evidence provided by the former Anglican cleric just referenced was refuted by the right reverend Prelate the Bishop of Chelmsford in extensive oral evidence on the subject at a Home Affairs Select Committee meeting in the other place last year?

Bishop of Gloucester asks about visa applications from Palestinians and Jordanians to the UK

The Bishop of Gloucester received the following written answer on 18th September 2025:

The Lord Bishop of Gloucester asked His Majesty’s Government:

how many visa applications they (1) received from, and (2) approved for, Palestinians from the Israeli Occupied Palestinian Territories in (a) 2023, (b) 2024, and (c) 2025; and what percentage of these were from and for Palestinian Christians.
how many visa applications they (1) received from, and (2) approved for, Jordanian nationals in (a) 2023, (b) 2024, and (c) 2025; and what percentage of these were from and for Jordanian Christians.

Bishop of Bristol asks about impact of the immigration health surcharge

The Bishop of Bristol received the following written answer on 17th June 2025:

The Lord Bishop of Bristol asked His Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the impact of the increase to the immigration health surcharge by 66 per cent in 2024.

Asylum Support (Prescribed Period) Bill: Bishop of Chelmsford supports legislation

The Bishop of Chelmsford spoke in support of the Asylum Support (Prescribed Period) Bill [HL], a private member’s bill tabled by Baroness Lister of Burtersett, at committee on 13th June 2025:

The Lord Bishop of Chelmsford: My Lords, I am pleased to support the Private Member’s Bill of the noble Baroness, Lady Lister, on asylum support and her Amendments 1 and 2, which would enable the Government to extend the move-on period according to their plans and timetable. The Bill is extraordinarily well timed, with the move-on period pilot coming to a close and the Government having recently published their White Paper entitled Restoring Control over the Immigration System. As the Government reduce the backlog of asylum applications and speed up the process times of applications, I suggest that this Bill does not impede but rather supports the Government as they seek to build a well-managed asylum system with integration back at its heart.

At Second Reading, I spoke of why 28 days was simply not enough time for an individual with newly granted refugee status to locate new accommodation, try to find employment and navigate a welfare system. This should now be regarded as indisputable, given that an individual cannot even access universal credit before five weeks have passed, that the majority of landlords will not even let a property before a first payment has come in and that setting up a bank account is proving difficult with an e-visa alone. On this latter point, I hope that the Government will consider issuing guidance to banking services.

Bishop of Bristol asks about changes to visa requirements in the UK

The Bishop of Bristol received the following written answer on 6th June 2025:

The Lord Bishop of Bristol asked His Majesty’s Government whether the changes to the qualification period for indefinite leave to remain apply to people who are already living and working in the United Kingdom or whether the changes will apply to new visa applicants only.

Border Security, Asylum, and Immigration Bill: Bishop of Southwark speaks at second reading

The Bishop of Southwark spoke at the second reading of the Border Security, Asylum and Immigration Bill on 2nd June 2025, pointing out the need for resources involved in managing the immigration and asylum system, and the potential effects of further hard line approaches to immigration enforcement:

The Lord Bishop of Southwark: My Lords, the diocese in which I serve covers one of the most diverse parts of the country. Indeed, arguably, south London is one of the most ethnically diverse places in the world. This diversity is often represented in our churches, which have benefited, as has the rest of the country, from the great human fact of migration. It would be good to hear some recognition of this in government and Home Office statements.

It is worth stressing that the vast majority of migrants to this country come here properly under the Immigration Rules, and thus there is no proper sense in which their arrival and settlement can be described as uncontrolled. The Government of the day may, for good reasons of public policy, wish to alter the rules or introduce fresh primary legislation, but that does not mean that a system and process is not in place, that applications are not assessed and fees paid, and that the results do not match what Parliament has sanctioned.

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